Just about every week, I talk to nonprofit communications directors who have “limiting beliefs” that are holding them back. Limiting beliefs are ideas or assumptions that you have about yourself, your situation, or others that limit your ability to succeed. But limiting beliefs are just that: beliefs. They are not indisputable facts, and they are often flat-out wrong. In my role as a coach, I help communications directors...

Do you recognize any of these scenarios? Your boss is a perfectionist which makes him nitpicky and hypercritical of your work because he believes it reflects poorly on him if it is not just so. Even though your boss knows you can do the work, she still thinks she can do it better, therefore she won’t delegate it to you. But because she is so busy, she never actually does the work. Your boss says social media is your job,...

Making a little progress every day is really important to staying motivated and happy in your work. But when you feel like you are getting pulled in a hundred different directions, as many nonprofit communicators are, that can be tough. Experts recommend that you develop “progress rituals.” Here are 5 I like. Let us know which ones work best for you! Pick Just One Thing a Day Your to-do list is way too long, right? I used...

Another day, another meeting. Or three, or five. When you literally have to schedule time on your calendar to think, that means you are in too many meetings. But meetings aren’t all bad. They are a great tool for collaboration when used well. Here are a few meeting basics, regardless of what you are meeting about: Include the expected outcomes on your agenda. Everyone needs to know what the meeting is about, and just as...

On more than a few occasions, I’ve told friends and family that the gift I most want on my birthday or Mother’s Day is to NOT be asked to make a decision. I make what feels like a million decisions in managing work and family, and it’s exhausting. This respite from my “decision fatigue” is a real gift. Your decisionmaking ability is like a muscle – when you use it too much, you get tired and your performance wanes. That’s when...

Communications work is complicated enough as it is. When you aren’t exactly sure who is responsible for what, it gets even more complicated. You can get clarity on important elements of your work processes, like who needs to be consulted and who has the final decision, using a simple roles and responsibilities framework. One popular model is RACI. R = Responsible for the project. This person is the one doing the work. A =...